{"id":882,"date":"2014-03-10T17:29:47","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T00:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/?p=882"},"modified":"2014-03-11T10:33:41","modified_gmt":"2014-03-11T17:33:41","slug":"contending-overgrown-christmas-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/2014\/03\/10\/contending-overgrown-christmas-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Contending with overgrown Christmas trees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry &amp; Natural Resources Extension &#8211; Columbia, Washington &amp; Yamhill Counties<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_883\" class=\"wp-caption thumbnail alignright\" style=\"width: 224px;\">\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-noble-christmas-trees.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-883 \" alt=\"Dark and gloomy.\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-noble-christmas-trees-224x300.jpg\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-noble-christmas-trees-224x300.jpg 224w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-noble-christmas-trees-764x1024.jpg 764w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-noble-christmas-trees.jpg 1936w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a>\n    <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dark and gloomy: the escaped Christmas trees at Tualatin River Farm<\/figcaption>\n    <\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a familiar story. A few acres of Christmas trees were planted on the farm, perhaps for tax purposes, or because they were perceived as a low-maintenance investment, or maybe because the market was strong at the time. Fast forward a couple decades\u2026the land has changed hands, and the Christmas trees, well, they never did make it into someone\u2019s living room. Now, the new owner has \u201cescaped\u201d Christmas trees to contend with.<\/p>\n<p>This is the situation at Tualatin River Farm, a 60-acre property now under a conservation easement and being turned into a working educational and demonstration farm and riparian restoration site. About five acres of the site is in this old noble fir plantation, presumed to have been planted for Christmas trees, and estimated to be about 25 years old. The new property managers wish to transform this area into a mixed upland forest, more representative of what might naturally occur on the site. What to do, they asked? Can these trees be saved?<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Some considerations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The stand displays all the visual signs of an overstocked forest: no vegetation growing on the ground, trees with a very high <a href=\"http:\/\/dictionaryofforestry.org\/dict\/term\/height-to-diameter_ratio\" target=\"_blank\">height-to-diameter ratio<\/a>, and with a very low ratio of <a href=\"http:\/\/dictionaryofforestry.org\/dict\/term\/live_crown_ratio\" target=\"_blank\">live canopy to total tree height<\/a>. All of these add up to a situation where the trees are at an unhealthy density.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The trees are so close together, that one can barely walk between them. Getting any of them down in a thinning scenario would be challenging. It might be feasible to remove every third or fourth row, but even then the stand would still resemble an orderly plantation\u2026not the type of forest that is desired by the owner in this case.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure id=\"attachment_889\" class=\"wp-caption thumbnail alignright\" style=\"width: 270px;\">\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/2010-aerial.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-889 \" alt=\"A pocket of dead trees in a low-lying area suggests possible root disease (2010 photo from Google Earth).\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/2010-aerial-300x291.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/2010-aerial-300x291.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/2010-aerial.jpg 754w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/a>\n    <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pocket of dead trees in a low-lying area suggests possible root disease (2010 photo from Google Earth).<\/figcaption>\n    <\/figure>\n<p>The trees are noble firs, which make fine Christmas trees, but which would not naturally be found at this elevation (&lt;200 feet) just above the floodplain. Here, they are an \u201coffsite\u201d species, and as they mature become more susceptible to diseases. Aerial photos show evidence of possible disease pockets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, can these trees be saved? Probably not. Given the owner\u2019s goals, it\u2019s likely best to start over with a clean slate.<\/p>\n<p>A portion of this stand is in better shape. Presumably, some Christmas trees were actually harvested here, so that when the rest \u201cescaped\u201d the stocking was already patchier and less dense. And, the previous owner (who still lives on the site, as a caretaker) has been taking out trees here and there over the years for firewood. The remaining trees have a healthier live crown ratio (more of the tree\u2019s trunk still has live branches attached); indicating that thinning probably started a while ago.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_884\" class=\"wp-caption thumbnail alignleft\" style=\"width: 300px;\">\n    <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-Christmas-trees-thinned.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-884 \" alt=\"Gradual thinning has resulted in better density, understory regeneration and lots of firewood.\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-Christmas-trees-thinned-300x224.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-Christmas-trees-thinned-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/714\/files\/2014\/03\/escaped-Christmas-trees-thinned-1024x764.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n    <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gradual thinning has resulted in better density, understory regeneration (and lots of firewood).<\/figcaption>\n    <\/figure>\n<p>Choices for this part of the stand are not as clear-cut (pardon the pun). The managers wondered, should they continue gradually thinning out the overstory, and plant underneath with native trees and shrubs? Cut out a few patches to allow more sunlight in, giving the option to plant in more sun-loving species? As the nobles age, more will probably succumb to disease. They could become snags, which could be seen as an asset (for wildlife\/structural complexity) or a liability (as a hazard tree \u2013 recall that the farm is to be used for education, with lots of kids and other groups visiting). There\u2019s no right answer, but starting over might be the best option here too.<\/p>\n<p>If this situation rings true for you, it\u2019s important to remember that Christmas tree fields do not grow up to become healthy forests, at least not without some careful planning. Gilbert Shibley, a Clackamas County Master Woodland Manager, has developed <a href=\"http:\/\/extension.oregonstate.edu\/clackamas\/sites\/default\/files\/shibley7cconvertexxmtr_shibleyts13.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">some useful materials<\/a> on the promises and pitfalls of converting escaped Christmas trees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry &amp; Natural Resources Extension &#8211; Columbia, Washington &amp; Yamhill Counties It\u2019s a familiar story. A few acres of Christmas trees were planted on the farm, perhaps for tax purposes, or because they were perceived as a low-maintenance investment, or maybe because the market was strong at the time. Fast forward&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/2014\/03\/10\/contending-overgrown-christmas-trees\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1783,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1174191],"tags":[55514,3446],"class_list":["post-882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forest-management","tag-christmas-trees","tag-forest-restoration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1783"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":901,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882\/revisions\/901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/treetopics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}